“But if they separate before the acceptance, it is invalid …”

His statement, “But if they separate before it, it is invalid”: “before it” means before the acceptance. For example, after he says, “I marry my daughter to you,” they get up and disperse, then later return, and the suitor says, “I accept the marriage.” It is not valid, because the offer and acceptance are the formula of a single contract, so they must be joined together.

Thus, acceptance has two conditions:

First: it must take place in the same sitting.

Second: they must not occupy themselves with something that interrupts it.

There is also a third condition which the author did not mention because it is understood: the acceptance must be made by the person to whom the offer was addressed. Thus, if he says, “I marry my daughter, so-and-so, to you,” and the other says, “I accept marriage to your other daughter, so-and-so,” the contract is not valid, because the offer and acceptance do not correspond.

It says in al-Rawḍ (1): “Likewise, if he becomes insane or loses consciousness before the acceptance.” That is, it is a condition that the mind of the one accepting not cease functioning before he accepts. If he loses his mind, the offer becomes invalid; and if he accepts after recovering, the offer must be repeated. Likewise, if he loses consciousness, the offer is invalidated and must be repeated.

Al-Rawḍ states: “But not if he falls asleep.” For example, the guardian makes the offer, saying, “I marry my daughter to you,” then Allah causes him to fall asleep. If he wakes up an hour later and says, “I accept,” it is valid according to the madhhab, because they neither occupied themselves with something that interrupts it nor separated; he is like one who remains silent.